Recently Diagnosed with SVT - I need your advice!
Posted , 14 users are following.
Hello,
In late September of 2018, I was diagnosed with SVT. If I could receive your advice and experiences, that would be truly appreciated.
Background:
I am 30 Years old. I am a designer by trade. I sometimes get health Anxiety. I do not drink or smoke. I am quite thin, 130 lb, 5'10. I exercise about 6 days of the week - Body weight Work Outs + Light Cardio. I was always a night owl; I liked staying up late and sleeping in - not the healthiest of life style choices. I was the type of person who is very productive late at night. In college I pulled many "all-nighters " with no side effects. However, about 9 months ago, I started to experience palpitations and light headedness from sleep deprivation, but the symptoms would only last for minutes, then vanish for the entire day. From then on, I changed my sleeping patterns.
September 2018
In late August I went on an arduous traveling expedition, which required very little sleep and a lot of physical exertion. The thought of me getting very little sleep triggered some anxiety that I would experience these palpitations, lo and behold, the palpitation returned and also hypnagogic jerks when I would try to go to sleep the next day. I decided to go to a Cardiologist immediately upon my return.
Cardiologist Tests
I did a sleuth of tests (ECG, 48 Hour Holter, Stress Test, and Echocardiogram). They caught SVT on the holter monitor, it said I experienced 62 episode of SVT in 48 hours. with traces of Sinus Arrhythmia. The highest heart beat was 132 bpm for 14 beats - not that long at all. However, I did NOT feel anything! No rapid heart beat, no pain, no discomfort, no tightness in chest - Nothing. The Cardiologist prescribed Diltiazem at a low dose, 15 mg. Personally, I stay away from any and all types of medication unless I truly need it. I have rarely taken this medication.
Your Advice
After seeing the tests, it has given me slight health anxiety over my heart. I am always checking my heart rate, I get nervous if my RHR is constantly at 90 (vs my typical 67 - 70), which in turn increases the RHR. My Blood Pressure is always low, almost too low; my blood pressure always averages around 98/67 to 105/70 - which ironically prohibits me from taking a calcium channel blocker since my BP is low. I sometimes get nervous going very distant places or exercising too intensely. I just want my life back. I am being too anxious about this, I know I shouldn't. I don't want to take anxiety medication, My Cardiologist briefly explained SVT to me, but she wasn't reassuring - most likely due to the fact that she has other patients that have more severe heart conditions and can't sit down and talk to me for a pro-long period. I am going to have a phone call with my cardiologist next week with the questions below, but I would like to get your advice.
*
What has been your experience when you first knew you had SVT and Moving Forward? *
Did you get or do you get Anxiety when your heart rate increases? If you get anxiety, how have you combated that feeling?
How often do you monitor your heart rate?
What device do you find best at monitoring your heart rate (FitBit, Garmin)
Do you go by feeling or by heart rate when determining if you have an episode.
What has been your longest episode.
When do you decide to go to the ED.
Which valsalva maneuver works best for you?
What do you do if you notice that your RHR is more on the high normal spectrum (e.g. 80-90 bpm vs 60 - 70 bpm)
What do you do when you're sick, For example, I had a cold and fever yesterday, my RHR was 90bpm the entire day most likely due to the fever, however, I was quite lethargic that entire day, which concerned me.
Have any of you naturally reversed and greatly limited your SVT due to life style changes? If so, what did you change?
Do you take medication? If so, how often?
Again, I think you all for taking the time to read this. I know there are people out there who have more debilitating conditions and I should call my self lucky that it's not as sever as it could be.
0 likes, 23 replies
jamie2727 SamBaqi
Posted
Looks like you and I have a lot in common lol. My symptoms are a lot like yours. I too, get anxious thinking about whether or not an episode is going to happen and if it will effect my day. I also do not like taking drugs at all and would prefer to avoid them but may not be able too.
Like you, my symptoms have to been as bad as others here. The highest my HR has gone is 170-175 for about 5 minutes, then it dropped. My main issues revolve around my HR not coming down quickly after exertion and a few times tripping into a high HR (above 130). My issues have seemed to arise after a period of intense exercising which I have completely stopped in October. It has been over a month since I had any issues with a racing heart but I am now dealing with constant palpitations (mostly PVC's), which I have never had to deal with before. Anxiety has def. made my symptoms worse, I have noticed, and after some research, decided to take Magnesium Taurate (200 mg), once a day, instead of the medication I was prescribed. This has helped me a lot. There is a lot of debate about taking Magnesium, some say it didn't help them at all, but for me I've noticed a difference. At the very least, it helps easy my anxiety a bit.
After consulting with a EP, we have decided to go the route of an EP study to see if he can identify what is causing my heart issues, and possibly ablate it. If not, then he is recommending medication, which will hopefully get my heart right so I can go back to my normal life and not have to worry about these issues. According to your post, you've only seen one cardiologist. I would recommend you get a second opinion. I had to go to another doctor too after the first one could not explain what was happening to me after a year and a half, especially since my symptoms got worse. As for the anxiety, just remember that it will only make your symptoms worse. If you have SVT, it is unlikely you will die from it, being that your highest HR is only 130ish. Just keep on top of it and if you find a doctor you like, follow their advice. And try not to be scared of medications. My mother had a slew of heart issues and medications kept her alive for over 30 years. Medications can help with the issues and get your heart working right again.
jamie2727 SamBaqi
Posted
Looks like you and I have a lot in common lol. My symptoms are a lot like yours. I too, get anxious thinking about whether or not an episode is going to happen and if it will effect my day. I also do not like taking drugs at all and would prefer to avoid them but may not be able too.
Like you, my symptoms have to been as bad as others here. The highest my HR has gone is 170-175 for about 5 minutes, then it dropped. My main issues revolve around my HR not coming down quickly after exertion and a few times tripping into a high HR (above 130). My issues have seemed to arise after a period of intense exercising which I have completely stopped in October. It has been over a month since I had any issues with a racing heart but I am now dealing with constant palpitations (mostly PVC's), which I have never had to deal with before. Anxiety has def. made my symptoms worse, I have noticed, and after some research, decided to take Magnesium Taurate (200 mg), once a day, instead of the medication I was prescribed. This has helped me a lot. There is a lot of debate about taking Magnesium, some say it didn't help them at all, but for me I've noticed a difference. At the very least, it helps easy my anxiety a bit.
After consulting with a EP, we have decided to go the route of an EP study to see if he can identify what is causing my heart issues, and possibly ablate it. If not, then he is recommending medication, which will hopefully get my heart right so I can go back to my normal life and not have to worry about these issues. According to your post, you've only seen one cardiologist. I would recommend you get a second opinion. I had to go to another doctor too after the first one could not explain what was happening to me after a year and a half, especially since my symptoms got worse. As for the anxiety, just remember that it will only make your symptoms worse. If you have SVT, it is unlikely you will die from it, being that your highest HR is only 130ish. Just keep on top of it and if you find a doctor you like, follow their advice. And try not to be scared of medications. My mother had a slew of heart issues and medications kept her alive for over 30 years. Medications can help with the issues and get your heart working right again.
Shige SamBaqi
Posted
hey Sam,
when i first discovered i had svt it was after worst episode (210bpm for about 45 minutes, dizzy, tingling, weakness)went to er, they caught it on ekg and did modified valsalva maneuver which worked. i had most episodes while doing cardio at gym. i kept going to gym and would stop and go home when experiencing svts again. anyway, my svt episodes were disruptive to my lifestyle so i did lifestyle changes first (stopped caffeine, nicotine gum, more sleep) that didn't really change so I went to cardiologist and got rx of cartia 120mgXT. took that for a couple months and didnt get better so finally opted for ablation. Went to a different cardio as I didnt have high trust for first one. i had transeptal catheter ablation with three cryoablated areas on my left ventricle. i havent had svts since surgery but have been struggling a lot with anxiety. im 42yr old male, 185, 6', exercise 4-5 days per week and eat and live generally fit lifestyle. dont smoke, drink occasionally. i definitely got anxiety when i had svts. scared the crap out of me honestly. i know theyre not supposed to be life threatening but it still affected me psychologically. going through the ablation and researching the heck out of it also added to my anxiety. ive dealt with it through counseling, meditating, praying, journaling, belly breathing exercises(very helpful in the moment), doing my best to stay present and focus on my purpose. i did get xanax rx from np for airplane rides cuz last big svt was on a plane. i took on 2 flights and havent used since. cognitivr behavioral therapy and nlp therapy are both supposed to be good ways to work through anxiety and ptsd.
the best way i was able to get out of svt was lying on right side curled in fetal postion. dunking my face into ice water helped me a couple of times.
i also found my garmin watch actually made my anxiety worse so i took that thing off back in august. theres such a thing as biofeedback so by seeing your hr go up on your fitness tracker can cause a psychosomatic response causing you to go into fight or flight(adrenaline rush) which increases hr more. then it becomes a self fulfilled prophecy.
good luck Sam. i know its difficult to cope with this stuff.
rick36911 SamBaqi
Posted
What has been your experience when you first knew you had SVT and Moving Forward? *
Finding a competent physician in my area.
Did you get or do you get Anxiety when your heart rate increases? If you get anxiety, how have you combated that feeling?
I drink a good brand of irish whiskey.
How often do you monitor your heart rate?
Once or twice a week.
What device do you find best at monitoring your heart rate (FitBit, Garmin)
My my time on my iphone 6s.
Do you go by feeling or by heart rate when determining if you have an episode.
No. I know when it comes on me as I get this "slump" feeling then all hell breaks loose.
What has been your longest episode.
One hour.
When do you decide to go to the ED.
You are mean ER? After several times of ramming a toothbrush down my throat with no results, then I head for the ER.
Which valsalva maneuver works best for you?
The only thing that has ever worked for me is the toothbrush thing which slams my diaphragm up against my heart.
What do you do if you notice that your RHR is more on the high normal spectrum (e.g. 80-90 bpm vs 60 - 70 bpm) My heart rate varies from 60-90 BPM. I Don't do anything.
What do you do when you're sick, For example, I had a cold and fever yesterday, my RHR was 90 bpm the entire day most likely due to the fever, however, I was quite lethargic that entire day, which concerned me.
I never get sick. i practice Macrobiotics.
Have any of you naturally reversed and greatly limited your SVT due to life style changes? If so, what did you change?
Well I don't do drugs or drink. I was always working out since the age of 10. Then I found myself working all the time as a slave for my very unappreciative daughter.
Do you take medication? If so, how often?
After firing 6 doctors for being grossly incompetent, I now have a nurse practitioner that has me on METOPROLOL ER 25 mg once a day. I tried going 1/2 dose per day, but that didn't work out. I hadn't had in major episode in 6 years, then 3 in a row.
Why is your BP so low? A little lower and you could be clinically dead. I would perform BP test in both arms and both legs. Why? The Mayo Clinic Gods misdiagnosed my mother with having a low BP. If they had done BP studies on both legs and both jugulars they would have know she had incredibly high BP. They only checked her left arm. Also check both jugulars. My mother was a serious sugar junkie. Her cardiologist told me he had never seen such a poor circulation in a human body. I worked with a medical research doctor studying the effect of sugar on the human body. If you don't want to get sick, stay away from sugar. Hope this helps.
annie56356 SamBaqi
Posted
I don't routinely test my resting heart rate because there's NO MISTAKE about whether I've switched over to SVT. I don't get anxious about extra beats because they aren't SVT and like the vast majority of people with SVT I have a normal heart structure and my heart functions normally except with it's actually in SVT. I sometimes have small runs of SVT but if they stop after 30 seconds or so I get on with my day.
My longest episode was 9 hours, or rather an 7 hour episode which self reverted then 2 hours later a 2 hour episode which I had adenosine for.
I usually go to the ER after 1- 2 hours, get out of there as soon as I can then go about my day, go to work.
The Modified Valsalva works better for everyone. I actually had my last conversion done with this at the GP's clinic rather than the ER. Easier for me and less work for everyone else. I was able to then go to work.
When I'm sick I look after myself, listen to my body and don't consider SVT at all because it's not related to being unwell. Everyone has an increased resting heart rate when they have a fever. It has nothing to do with SVT.
I take Metoprolol when I'm in SVT as it slows the rate and makes it easier to deal with and probably easier to convert back to normal rhythm. I refuse to take daily medication for a condition that doesn't affect me every day. Every medication has its side effects.
I don't modify my lifestyle in any way. I've managed this for over 30 years and I deal with it when it happens and in between I don't give it much thought. There are a lot of people who have terrible illnesses that limit their lifestyle. I don't impose unnecessary limitations on myself.
SamBaqi
Posted
i would like to truly thank everyone who took the time in reading my post and responding, it's truly appreciated. it is true that I did not feel any of the SVT episodes while i was on the holter monitor, I asked the nurse and cardiologist if it was unusual, and they said that it's not unusual for you not to feel short episodes of SVT
makenna03808 SamBaqi
Posted
Hi,
I am 19 and i too have SVT. I was diagnosed last year when i had to go to the ER because i literally thought that i was having a heart attack. The ER nurses didnt know at the time that i had SVT, and neither did i. I went to the Cardiologist and wore a monitor for 2 weeks. The monitor showed that i was having SVT episodes throughout the day. My heart rate when i am having an episode can be anywhere from around 120 to even 200. My highest heart rate was when i was wearing the monitor and it caught it at 200. When i am having an episode all i do is wait it out. The episode i had at the ER lasted 6 HOURS! Only because no one knew i had SVT. I am having the heart ablation in about 2 weeks to hopefully stop the episodes. Like you, i worry all day about having an episode, especially at school, and thats what triggers mine most of the time is me overthinking it. All you can do is take meds and try and cope with the anxiety that this causes, unless you try an ablation if it causes problems to your everyday life.